Body-handling device



June 24, 1930. F. l.. FoULKs BODY HANDLING DEVICE `2 sheets-sheet 1Filed Ocl'.. 1, 1926 lll June 24, 1 930. F. L.. FOULKS v BODY HANDLINGDEVICE Filed oct. 1, 192e '2,v sheets-sheet z Patented June 24, 1930STATES PATENT ori-*i i i' FRANKLIN .It FOULKYSVUF: MQUT HOLLY, NEWJERSEY BODY-HANDLING DEVICE application med october 1, 192,6. seriai no.iseoa.

My invention relates toa body-handling device for use byundertakers andthe like.' vMynuain purpose is to facilitatethe moving Aof a-body frompabed or other raised 'f5 position to and into an undertakers bodybasket.Y

A further purpose is to handle dead bodies in a manner more quiet,veasy, orderly, rapid and sanitary than has hitherto .been possible.

thus dispensing Awith theassistancegof a helper: V Y

A further purposeof my invention iscto :l5 mount a body-table so that itcan convenient-ly be lifted from and lowered into a body-basket, y

receiving the body for lthe basket upon fthe table while the tableiskraised, then sinking the table and the bodyV intothe basket for transferto an undertakers4 establishmentrordinarily to an embalming table. f f Afurther purpose is to'hinge the spaced pairsof legs of a body-table atone endfo the bottom of a body-basket, and at the other end to thebottom of a body-table adapting the table to disappear into the basketand to reappear therefrom, preferably latching the tableinraisedposition. y 'f y y* A further purpose istoprovidejanemergencyembalming table within a body-basket;

Further purposes willappear 1n the speciflcation and inthe claims. l f I'Y 'I have elected to show one form ronly, with a slight modicationamong the many forms in which the invention may appear. .I have selecteda form that is eiicient'and practical in operation, inexpensive tomanufacture, and which well illustrates the principles involved. yFigure 1*-is a side elevation inpartsection, showing my body-lifterapplied'` to abodybasket. Y Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structureshown inFigure 1. o 't 5 .l A Il", A

Figure?) is a vertical longitudinal section of the basket with thevdevice in side elevation'and lowered withinl the basket, a partly raisedposition beingshown in outline. I 50 Figures 4 and 5 are sectionsrespectively of of the modification shown inFig; 6.y A

t f A' further purpose is tohandle'thebodyv without the need formorelthan one person,V

3 taken upon line b-5'. f

Figure 6 isa view corresponding to Figure 2 but showing a slightmodiiicationl F'gure 7 isa side view, partially in sectiomf `Likenumerals refer tolikefparts in iigures. Y i' Describing in tation andreferring to the drawing's,-w

Inthe past when removing a dead .body Y' frfomnf hospital? sanatarium,private Yresidence or elsewhere to an undertaking establishment,Y thetransfer of thebody to and from ,the ambulance basket has been accom-Figure 1 taken upon the line andFi'gure au.v

illustration andvnotfinflimiplishedwith some diculty and frequently withrough handling of the body that has been distasteful to friendsandrelatives ,ofl

the' dead, andv that has involved for theunoler-v A rtakers y anunnecessary ramount ofl time and physicallabor and at times dangerouscntact with the body. v

' The ambulance-basket has been set alongside ofthebody and two or moremen have then lifted the bodyjfrom vthe bed intothe" basket during whichit has sometimeshappened ythat lthe body, particularly when very largehas fallen heavily into the basket. A

second handling, with incidental heavy tugupon which thebody islyingTandis held in f v is then leasily slid "from the bedto the table.VA f that position. The body After the body has Vbeen received upon thetable .thetable is swung; quietly downinto the basket'ifor tra'nsferftothe undertaking n establishment or elsewhere whereitfisl again swung/upto. present the bodyy in a suitable position for easyl removal or ,foran embalming operation...v Some form of latch ispprefer- 35 Il combine a.body receiving table with y :ably used to hold the table reliably wheniii raised position. Y y Y. f Heavy handling 'of the body With Vitsinidecorous tugging and lifting is thus avoided establishment.`

both at the hospital and at the Vundertaking In the struc-tureV 'shownthe body-basket 14 has 'wicker sides 1'5 Vand a stiff wooden bot- 1 tom16, which comprises the usual ambulance the bottom of this basket A arefastened yat 19 `tojthe bottom ofthe basket; Spaced pairs .of.-legs20,best. seen in Figures 1 and 4,.

or body-.baskfet,and` my tablela'nd bodyhandling structure'issecurelymounted upon Spaced angle pieces 1,7 and 18 are hinged atY the'vbottom.'l at 21Z` to Athe angles V17 and'18 andatthe'top .at2`2` tothefund'ersi'de of theL table 23;' Thefl'egs of each pair are united tolf'orina' rigid unit orframe' by suit- VVV'of suitablgemateri'al, whicharer riveted tothe a'lo'le cross pieces'formingfbraces v24E and 25 Yoppositelegsat 26'. These Vcross` braces are vdesirably light flats andthe legs light angles'.

30. provided by suitableangles 29'andi30 Yriveted- AThe ftabl'e isdesirably io'f rolled sheet aluminum, strengthened Vthe sideszjbyturningdown flanges 27; Preferably i the metal isj raised at 28A as by arib, along each edge-. This raisedportion'serves the double purposeA ofaord'ing ad'ditionalstiffening andV strengthening ofjthe' table ispreferably y. to theVV lower side ofthe table along'opposit'e sides'.They afford convenient Yconnections "The front and'rearpairs of legsarev preferably alike and are' hinged at the bottomto the same pair ofanglesvv 17V and" 18. These angles are bol-ted lt'o the .bottom of 'thebasket f preferably upon each side of the hinges;

. i Showiiai-,Chio hold the aus in' misled `position and 'comprising'one'lor morelusets of folding :tie links and. 32'.V respectively Yhinged at 33" to *oneY ofthe bottom anglesLV and' at 34 to one of thelegs and pivotallycoiinect-- r45 ed at 35; One orboth of the links arelnotched at 36 somev littleV distance'in'wardly kfromthe pivot 35 betweenthe links, to receive a transversely extendinglug 37 upon the,V otherlink. rllhese lugs v37 registerv Vwith the respective notchesA andengages the links at the bottom of the' notches to4 limit the'openin'g`motion iof`the. combined ti'e'rto 1809 and 'thus latch the legs in,vvertical position when `the table a The latch( is loosened by means ofachain 38 whichis.- connectedftoVV one ofthe links at 39, passed to andaround a' pulley 40up'on the lower-'side of. the table and thence along'the under sidepof the table toward` theheadl of Vthe table V.where it issuitably supported in thetable sortliat it can be operatedby a ring 41.This causes the links-31 and 32 to swing toward the table.VK A handle 42is provided Vat eachrend of thetable, the table 'being VThe rod islifted 'by' means of chain B'Sfterwhich is more dilii'cultfto `clean..fvp

In viewrof my inventi nfand 1 disclosure f ,i Y 125 i ual whim orpartcula-iineedwilldoubtless.k f l Y 1,765,792 i j f i Vraisedvorloweredby taking hold of one yor i Y both of'these handles.

When the table is nearly rai'sed,inl some Y such position as shown inoutline in Figure 3, the vertical'support from the legs becomesmarkedlymore noticeable and the continued movement becomes anearly'hori'zontalswing-` Y ing Ymovement Vrequiring littley strength.v

ln'fraised position one end 43 overlapslthe corresponding endofthebasketto a distance "determined nearly by Vthe'length of the legs..

Y Vhen, the table is swung down the tie links Y 32 and 33 fold up andthelegs fold down between -thel bottom! of the basket and the table.

,Normally the upper surface. of the table need' beY only'l one oritwo`ichesl aboveythegbottom of the basket when' the t'iblej'is'A down, so'that the folding vtable structure@maybe used with the normal basket,being preferably ref movably mounted on the bottomof thebasket.`

The form shown in VFigures 6 and 7 ris the saine in p'rinciple'fand :ingeneral operation yas that shown in theearlier figures,"the onlydifferences being ai yslight modification of the .table and ofthein'ounting legs-` and a slightly diere'nt' 'fastening 'mech'anisinfoijj holding..

the tableV in raised position.-

Vrlhe hinges 21 and 22" secure the vlegsito`v the baseboard Vwithin thebasket andto the table 23 respectively, and the fasteningdeiviceco'mprises a rodk Slpivotedto the'table at'il and terminating in'a Yrong 45 `whichA engages theV baseboaiifd within ,thcfbasketrminatin'g in ring 41 as inthe other form.

One practical advantagefof 4my invention lies inthe relief whichitfolfers fromsthe awkwar'dness and' clumsiness'in the handling ofthebodies by which la considerable part of the strength ofthe attendants intliefpast hasV been required, so lthat all'of the strength fines of anattendant "nowr be vappliedfto,the i best advantageto theliftingjrand'swinging of i the table, orjto restraining it againstexcessive ldownward speedl of movement by reason "of the Weight of thebody. Y f

n -The Vtable is desirably made i of i aluminuinV both'becau'se of thelightness thusY secured and ybecause aluminum is V`very easilyjcleanedand is *resistantv to rusting andi corrosion. i' Gther'.

iis

metals and wood'arealsoYquiteacceptable.

A considerable advantage'of mystructurey lies in the Lease with'whicliit: may be kept clean. Any blood or other fluid comes upon ametalsurfacethat is readily'cleaned instead Vof upony the vwooden bottom of;the i basket or upon the wickerwork of the basket variations andmodifications to meet individ`` become evident to othersjskilled',intheart, to obtainal'l orpart of the benefit-sof myfi'nvention withoutcopyingtlie structure shown, 1. I' 30 and therefore, claimk all such insoi-far' as they fall Within the reasonable spirit and scopev of myinvention.. Y 'f Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent is y A 1. In a combined bodybasket and handling or operating table, a body basket, a body table andconnections therebetween adapting the table to be raised frominside thebasket, to a position above the basket to receive a body and thento beloweredv again'into the basket With the body in place upon it., theconnections being suited to hold the table in raised position. f 7

2.' In a combined body basket and. handling or operating table, a bodybasket havinga bottom, a body table smaller than the inside horizontal pcross-section of. the basket yand adapted to lit inthe basket, andmechanism for supporting the table Well above'the basket permitting thetable to beL raisedreliably from or lowered and guided Vinto the basket.

3.' In a combined body'basket and handling Oroperating table,a basket,atab-le adapted vto fit therein, spaced pairs of ylegs hinged atopposite ends respectively to the table and to the vbasket adapted topivotally carry the table along an. arcfrom inside the' basket near thebottom thereof to near the vertical'position of thelegs, a pair of tielinks pivotally'fastened,together aty adjoin ing ends and having theirother ends respec# tively pivotally 'fastened to the bottom of thebasketand to one of the legs at a distance from the hinge of the-leg,adapted to fold Hat between the table and the bottom of the basket whenthe table is'in the basket and to limit the arcuate swingof the tableWhen the table is raised, a latch limiting the relative. angular motionof the links to that corresponding to raised position of the table, andmeans for loosening the latch.

FRANKLIN L. FOULKS:

